


Five Milestones for Jonathan Sullivan-Queen

by legendarytobes



Category: Smallville, Smallville Season 11 (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2014-11-28
Packaged: 2018-02-27 08:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2686379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legendarytobes/pseuds/legendarytobes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a lot of milestones in any kid's life, some are just a lot bigger when your parents are superheroes...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Milestones for Jonathan Sullivan-Queen

**Author's Note:**

> This is very solidly a Chlark story and mentions Dinah Lance/Oliver Queen due to Oliver cheating on Chloe. So it's really, really not Chlollie. Forewarned and all that.

I. Nightmare

Everything was smokey. It made Jonathan cough and blink and try and find his mom or dad. But he couldn't. There was so much smoke that it burned his eyes and made him cry before he couldn't breathe at all. He felt like he was dying, and it was what made him wake up.

Before he could even scream, he was blinking up at his godfather or, well, kind of an uncle, he just called him Clark like mommy did. He wasn't allowed to do that even with Cousin Lois, but mommy said it was okay with Clark because he was family and it didn't have to be fancy at all.

Confused, Jonathan sat up in his bed (it was a racecar and really cool), and frowned back at Clark. It was late, so late that it was pitch black outside and he couldn't hear his parents up. They were probably sleeping anyway. They lived in Star City anyway, really far from Metropolis and there was no way his godfather had gotten there like that. Jonathan knew he hadn't been visiting when his mom made him go to bed.

"Clark?"

His godfather stood up from the old rocking chair in the corner of the room. Daddy said it had been an heirloom of his mom's. Jonathan wasn't sure yet what an heirloom was. "Hey buddy. I was worried."

"I had a bad dream," he replied, still confused about how Clark could be here, why he'd be worried all the way in Kansas, which was so far away.

"That explains it. Your heart was going so fast that I just had to check."

Jonathan frowned and furrowed up his brow. He'd just turrned three so he didn't know everything yet. He was going to by the time he was five. While daddy was trying to teach him to use his first bow, mommy was teaching him to read so he could Google soon. She said knowing things had a big advantage sometimes over just doing them. He liked that. Still, he didn't think that people just went around hearing each others' hearts. He knew there were weird people around like on TV. Sometimes he'd get nightmares if he saw news from Gotham with that scary clown or the plant lady. This was just the first time he'd had a nightmare about fire and stuff.

So, yeah, there were superheroes on TV and the bad people too but they were so far away. He didn't know anyone who could do special things like that.

His godfather sat down next to him and stroked his hair. Mommy did that a lot too, but she was better at it. It was nice Clark tried though. "I can do a lot of things. You're okay, right? You seemed really scared. I thought someone had hurt you."

Jonathan frowned again. "Why? Everything's always fine here."

Clark nodded and his smile felt wrong, like it was hard for him to make it, like he wasn't happy at all. "That's good. Do you need me to stay?"  
"Maybe for a minute. It was scary!"

"What was it about?" he asked, sliding into the bed a bit and Jonathan was excited to curl up in his godfather's arms. Clark was super huge, way bigger than his dad, and he'd be good at keeping fire away. And dreams.

"It was weird. Everything was burning. I didn't like it."

Clark frowned back at him harder. "Lots of smoke?"

"So much smoke! I couldn't breathe!"

"I had dreams like that when I was little. Maybe your mom and dad can get you a night light. That helped me when I woke up. I...if you're ever scared you can just whisper my name and I'll be here."

"No you can't. Metropolis is far away, like a million-bajillion miles!"

Clark laughed and gave him a hug. "You talk like your mom. Not everything has to be exclaimed, kiddo."

"Everything I say is very important."

"Correction, you are completely your mother," Clark added. "Don't ask how, just do it. I can be here whenever you need me and I plan to be, that's what being your godfather means."

"Okay, so you'll stay now? I didn't like when stuff burned."

"I never did either."

Jonathan didn't know what that meant so he just went back to sleep. When he woke up later, his mom was curled up on his other side, like a big sandwich of his favorite people, and he really liked that.  
**

II. Seeing Powers in Person

When Jonathan was five, something happened that, at first, his mom said he couldn't tell his dad. Jonathan wasn't sure if that was okay or not. He didn't think his friends' at prep school...that their moms and dads lied to each other. Not that it was a lie, exactly. Mommy just said that he shouldn't mention it to dad until she explained it first. That was all.

It still made Jonathan's tummy feel squiggly when she asked.

But it was so weird and cool and new and confusing. Yesterday, they'd been at the park and then when they were walking home, his mom had rushed with him into an alley. There was an old guy there getting mugged and that scared Jonathan a lot because the bad guy had a big gun and he was huge and scary. Mommy didn't care. His mommy was wreckless a lot. He didn't know what that meant but his dad yelled about that a lot, he'd been yelling about it a lot lately when Jonathan was supposed to be asleep in his room. Something about "patrols" and stuff that must be for adults again.

Anyway, his mom was so cool. She rushed right in and stopped the huge guy. She kicked and punched and did as good as Batman or Green Arrow, like on CNN. It was so cool! But then when she was helping the old man up and then grabbing her purse to go back to the street, the huge guy woke up and shot her.

It scared him so bad. His mommy fell and he was holding her and then screaming for Clark because Clark said he'd always come and then his godfather was just there like magic. Before anyone could do anything, even as fast as Clark totally was, his mom, well...

She started glowing.

The big, scary hole in her shoulder with all the blood started growing gold and then it wasn't there anymore.

That's when Clark took them both home to the manor super fast. He picked them both up and then Jonathan blinked and they weren't even in the city anymore. So yesterday mommy explained that she'd had powers before he was born but didn't know they were back, and that his godfather was Superman.

No, really.

No, Jonathan wasn't a liar. His godfather was Superman and his mommy used to work for Watchtower and had been going back to helping a lot with the Justice League now that he was bigger. Since daddy was so into archery, Jonathan figured that had to make him the Green Arrow, but he wasn't sure he was supposed to ask that especially since Clark and mommy made him promise never to tell anyone what he knew. Jonathan could do that. He was really smart! All his teachers and his mommy and his Grandma Martha all said so. Sometimes bad things happened to special people, and sometimes bad people went after superheroes' families. After all, Cousin Lois got abducted like every week on TV for Superman, no for Clark, to save.

He wasn't sure why he wasn't supposed to tell daddy about this. He had to be Arrow. He had to know what mommy and Clark could do. So why pretend that he didn't know too? But it was a big people thing and maybe Jonathan would get it later, like when he was six.

Today, though, he was sitting in bed and his mom was sitting down next to him. Frowning, he reached up and pushed her purple sweater out of the way just enough to check her shoulder. There wasn't even a scar and that was so cool, but it scared Jonathan a little too. What if his mommy tried more dangerous things later? What if she didn't come home some day?

Scared, he grabbed his mommy so tight she shouted. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong? I'm here, okay? Everything's fine."

"You didn't know that when you got shot."

"I knew Clark would find me and help me before I started glowing. It's kind of what Superman does, and it's definitely what he's been doing for me since I was fourteen."

"That's pretty old."

His mom asked. "Then I probably shouldn't tell you how old I really am."  
"You're great mom! I'm sure you're not super duper old like twenty."

His mommy laughed again, like tinkling bells at Christmas, and he liked that. "That's for another day, a stor. I didn't know I could heal again, and it's a good thing because it helps people. Clark and I and your dad, we help a lot of people and it's a good thing. I...you don't ever have to feel like you have to, but it matters to all of us what we're a part of."

Jonathan frowned up at his mom. "Daddy's Green Arrow, right? Can't I tell him that I know. He already wants me to learn how to shoot!"

"Later, buddy, I promise. I...Daddy's just protective and I don't think he'd like me being more proactive again or that you know so early. I think he was gonna wait until you were in at least middle school."

"But that's forever!"

"That's how I feel. If you promise never to tell anyone, then I'll do something special for you."

"I'm listening," he said, grinning now. "Can you get Clark to take my flying."

His mom looked sad then and he thought for a minute she might cry and he wasn't sure why. "Mommy?"

She smiled again but didn't seem to mean it much and pulled the small comic book up from her lap. "I'm sure Clark would love to do that, and there's no one I trust more with your life. If you ask him, I'm sure he'll figure out when he can."  
"That's so cool!"

"Superman's important, but I think you need to understand how Clark started being him. I...it's a very long story but I have photoshop and some art skills. Would you like to hear me tell you all about Smallville? How everything started?"

"Are you in it too?"

His mom laughed for a very long time. "I can promise you, I have a pretty prominent front row seat. But there are lots of other people too like Grandma Martha and Cousin Lois and eventually your dad, and even Grandpa Jonathan and Uncle Bart whom you're named after. I...this is just for us right now okay?"

He frowned again even as he settled into his mom's arms. "Why?"

"I'm not sure yet, either, but this is just...this is your family and I want you to hear about it from me."

"Okay, mommy, but you really should tell Dad what you can do again. It's really cool!"

His mom sighed and started reading about the big meteor shower from years and years ago in Smallville. "That's one word for it, but not the only one."  
**

III. Heartbreak

"You shouldn't have done that," Clark said, and he was standing there in that cape with the stupid symbol on his chest, and Jonathan didn't have the patience for it, not now, not today. If his godfather wanted to come and lecture him that was bad enough. He wasn't going to have it laid out for him with the Superman voice and all that holier-than-thou crap.

Jonathan rounded on him as he snapped the final bow over his knee. He'd had thirteen. He'd gotten one every year for his birthday since the actual day he was born. Some had been harder to break than others. The last set, the orange and yellow kid's toy from so long ago, snapped easily.

Just like his parents' relationship, turned out.

"Why should I keep them, Clark? He left us!"

Clark flickered and then was standing back in jeans and a t-shirt. Jonathan appreciated the consideration. He couldn't deal with alter egos right now. He just couldn't.

"Your father never made the best decisions."

"He was fucking Aunt Dinah for three years and got her pregnant. I think that's a fuck ton more than not 'the best decision!'"

Clark sighed and sat down on the edge of Jonathan's bed. Race cars had given way to a nice queen-size with star-themed sheets. He wasn't sure he'd even get to keep this set up. He had no idea where he'd go. This was his father's manor, in the Queen family for generations, so would that mean he'd move Dinah and the baby when it was born in here? Would he and his mom have to leave now that they knew? 

"Buddy, don't break everything your dad ever gave you. It won't make it better. It'll make it worse."

"He lied to mom for years and me. He might have been out patrolling, sure, but he was also out doing a Hell of a lot more with Dinah, and now what? I forgive him? I can't do that. Mom's wrecked. You know Mom. She doesn't say anything, doesn't scream about it, blames herself for working too hard for her Pulitzer and being too busy patrolling and on League stuff too. How can she even? He did it. He chose it, and now what? I'm going to not break shit and pretend to like my new mistake sibling? Fuck that, Clark."

"Language. You're named after someone who would never have said anything like that."

"But I was raised pure Sullivan-Lane. Tell me Cousin Lois never talks like this."

Clark shrugged. "Lois moved to Africa for permanent foreign correspondent work about a year ago so I don't know about recently, but, yes, if you're raised on an army base and work in a bullpen you can talk like that. You're neither of these things so knock it off."

"Oh you should have heard mom the day she found out. She swears in more languages than I gave her credit for."

Clark shook his head. "You need to be better because your father is still your father. One day, you'll want to reconcile with him and breaking every gift he ever gave you isn't a good way to do that."

"Wait, back tracking," Jonathan said, really hearing his godfather through his anger. "Why didn't I know about Lois?"

"Because no one does. Chloe...we just told her it was temporary but I didn't know how to admit the engagement that never actually went anywhere was over forever. I just...it was embarassing, buddy. That's not really the point. My point is sometimes we have fathers in our lives we have to work with and it just doesn't help to fight all of it."

"Mom says the fortress sucks and is why Grandpa Jonathan died."

Clark stiffened and nodded. "It did a lot of terrible things, but it worked hard once to try saving your mother's life. It's not as bad as it was, but maybe if I'd compromised more, maybe Dad would still be alive."

"Or maybe you'd have been brainwashed to take over the world at sixteen."

"Jor-El isn't Oliver. He just doesn't want you to shut him out. He's not always terrible. He's saved a lot of people over the years and he made you and your mom happy once."

"He's made Dinah happy a lot more recently."

Clark nodded. "I'm not telling you to burn bridges not because of Oliver but because it'll eat you up. Just forgiving is the best thing you can do. Maybe not today, but some day, buddy, because it'll ruin you otherwise, that kind of hate."

"Sounds like you know."

"From experience over my own issues, definitely. I've done things worse, believe me."

Jonathan sighed and sat down next to his godafther. "What happens now. I can't imagine we're staying here."

Clark shrugged. "I bought the farm back after Lois left, it's got space. I even added a bathroom for when mom or Conner visited because one was the worst. If Chloe and you want to live there, you're more than welcome. It's not a mansion with staff, but we make do."

"So you have cows and horses?"

"No, just a golden retriever puppy. It's not a working farm again. I don't have time for that," Clark replied. "You have a home, is all, and you're more than welcome to come to it. It'd be good. That farm was in my family for four generations, including me. I...it's where so much of my family was tied for over century. I know it's not your family, exactly---"

"Part of my birth certificate would argue on that," Jonathan said, smiling for the first time in weeks. "It's good to have a home."

"Always. I, uh, promise not to sell it again, ever."

"Sure and no barn chores? That seems like a great deal. But can we maybe get a maid. They are pretty awesome."

"Oh Jonathan," Clark said putting an arm around his shoulder. "Grandma Martha and I are going to teach you so much about doing your own chores. You'll love it."

"I'm being punished. Kicked out of Eden for cow town."

"Now you really do sound like your mom. Hell, it mostly worked out for her."

"Now who's cursing," Jonathan riposted. Then he sighed. "Clark, I wish you'd been my father."

His godfather dropped his arm immediately and stood up. "That's a dangerous wish, buddy. You'll learn to forgive Oliver some day so don't say things you'll regret."

Clark was gone with that statement, long before Jonathan could answer that he never would.  
**

IV. Fishing

"This is so boring, Clark," Jonathan said. "We've been here for hours and we haven't caught anything. There's a Sharks game on in an hour and this pretty awesome documentary about Ada Lovelace on PBS."

"You are your mom's kid," his godfather said, chuckling and casting his rod again. Jonathan was confused about how Clark could kickass as Superman and had faster reflexes than anyone else currently alive but seemed completely hopeless with casting period. He'd already almost hit Jonathan in the face three times.

"Still, it's been six hours. We were up to do this at five a.m. and we have caught one car tire. It's sucked."

"It's traditional. My dad took me for years and his dad took him."

Jonathan snickered. "I'm pretty sure my dad and his family weren't fishing types."

"They're not a lot of things. This is a bonding experience. We're supposed to be cold and not catch anything and be bored. It's the experience."

Jonathan glared back at him. "You can't feel the cold so that's cheating."

Clark smirked. "But I can feel bored. Besides, it's Homecoming Weekend. This gave you an excuse not to have to scurry off and find a date."

Jonathan sighed and pulled back out his hook. The lure and worms were still on it. Of course no fish had come with it. Maybe they'd been mutated by the two showers like his mom, and then they'd developed feet and walked off. "It's hard being new. It's freshman year and everyone knows about all my family drama so I'm that weird rich kid."

"So you're weird in Smallville, how rare is that?" Clark joked.

Jonathan poked at his worm and sent it back, hook and all, into the water. Maybe that one lone fish in Crater Lake would show up finally. "This is worse than when mom moved here and was the city girl."

"I would bet it's no worse than being an alien who just saw his spaceship."  
"You don't have to joke."

Clark sighed. "I'm sorry. That's not what I...it's hard being the new kid no matter what. It's not fair everyone makes fun of you and if I let her, I'm sure Fawkes would pay them visits and slit tires."

"Mom might not go that far," Jonathan hedged and then after Clark's side eye, changed his tune. "Okay she would but it happens. I'll find my niche there. I mean it worked great for you and Mom, even if you were more a pair or sometimes a trio with Senator Ross. I get that."

"You'll get there. But I thought being bored before the Shark's game---"

"The Lovelace thing is supposed to be amazing. Tell me you don't have a soft spot for female computer programmers?"  
"Obviously, buddy."

"And you're wrong. I mean, about what I meant. You don't have to joke about your origins. Mom has all those comics she made that were all about your life growing up, the real story. It's okay, you know. Superman's pretty damn cool. I mean, I'm a fan of Batman, myself---"

"You say that because Chloe and Bruce hate each other. It makes your mom annoyed."

"Bonus," he chirped. "It's okay. I think you're cool."

"Thanks, buddy, that means a lot. We're not catching anything. So let's go home and split the difference. We watch the first half of the Sharks game then switch to documentaries, deal?"

"You know me too well."

"Since the day you were born."  
**

It started as a dull ache in his temples, which wasn't common for Jonathan. He hadn't inherited either his father's coordination or his mother's meta-abilites, as far as he knew. While his mom never got sick and healed so fast it was like watching time-lapse photography, Jonathan had colds and flus like everyone else. Still, he'd never had a migraine before. Shrugging it off, he munched some more on his popcorn and tried to ignore the ache as it moved into his eyes and then was joined by a burning, like diving into a pool with way too much chlorine in the mix.

Any semblance he'd had of being able to keep things together flew out the window when there was a close up on the cheerleaders for the Gotham Knights. One look at their, um, assets jiggling and their TV set was on fire. 

And Clark was staring at the whole thing confused before rushing Jonathan to the Fortress.  
**

Jonathan was put through a ton of tests, which mostly involved the Fortress shoving him in a crystal tube and scanning him for hours on end. By the time he was finally allowed to step out, his mom and Conner were assembled there as well. Conner took him off to the computer console half of the Fortress and Jonathan knew a distraction when he'd seen it.

"Okay, so color me confused," he said, glaring back at Conner.

Jonathan hadn't hit his growth spurt yet, and was about as tall at best as his mom had been at his age. Conner wasn't much taller, apparently something recessive and Luthorian rendering him far smaller than Clark. Still, he was taller than Jonathan, and he wasn't sure his glare was really doing much to move or unnerve his friend.

"Well, Jor-El's doing some analyses. I'm sure when he's done, he'll be able to talk to Clark and Chloe about it."

Jonathan shook his head. "Mom heals. That's all she does. Dad has always been human. So where would burning things with my eyes even come from?"

Conner swallowed hard and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. "Well it wouldn't be from Chloe."  
"Or Oliver. I know my grandma could like control other mutants but this seems sort of random for a second gen ability, especially since I'm already fourteen. What gives?"

"I really don't want to field that."

"Why?"

Conner focused on the console before them as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Clark! Chloe! You really need to get over here."

His mom trotted over first, despite his godfather's speed, and she'd been crying. That scared Jonathan worse than anything. Outside of the day his Grampy Gabe had died and they'd all found out about Dinah's pregnancy, he'd never seen his mother cry. Some terrible shit was going down.

"Mom? What's wrong with me? Is this a Kryptonite thing?"

Clark was there then and it occurred to Jonathan for the first time ever his godfather didn't seem to blur in or out to him, that he had to be running fast---when wasn't he---but Jonathan's perception had changed.

Clark sighed and put a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "If you want to look at it as more Zatanna's fault you could."

"Now I really don't understand."

"We're almost as lost if it makes you feel better," Conner added. "Um, so, fun fact, Kryptonian-meteor mutant pregnancies last about twice as long as human ones..."  
**  
V. Alter Ego

"Clark," Jonathan said as his, well, father minus the god part now, walked into his dorm. He was busy finishing up a paper for his journalism ethics class, but he'd known Clark was in the hall a few minutes before. Heartbeats were distinctive.

Not that Jonathan had all of his parents' abilities. He was really going to petition on that. He couldn't heal anyone but himself (lightshow mandatory, unfortunately), although it was nice to be Kryptonite-resistant. While he had some heightened senses and both heat vision and increased strength, that seemed to be the bulk of what he'd inherited from his father. The invulnerabilty to things like bullets would be nice, but he had to rely on healing instead. It was a mishmash of things that hadn't fully taken effect and grown with him until he'd finished high school. At least that's when he started with his own healing lights like his mom.

It was odd for all of them that being whatever odd mix Jonathan was meant that his mom had had a typical pregnancy and he'd been normal until high school, no trace of any powers at all. Now he had abilities and was starting to use them. Okay, not much. He was training under the current Titans leader but hadn't been approved for anything patrol-worthy quite yet. He figured it would be time some day. He hadn't resisted the family business in reporting, either. So why would he avoid being a hero too. He'd heard his mom and Clark's stories so many times, seen the good both had done for decades. He coudl do no less, not and keep looking himself in the mirror.

Even if he wasn't nearly as impressive as either Fawkes or Superman and probably never would be.

"Hey buddy," Clark said, sitting down in one of the pathetically tiny chairs in his dorm. Everything at Met U was so old and scrunched and he needed to beg Conner into some LuthorCorp donations. Money was nice. 

Jonathan sighed and offered Clark a pained smile. To be fair, Clark had spent fourteen years thinking of him as only his godson, of limits on their relationship and titles, even after Oliver Queen had rushed off for other pastures and not just with Dinah, much to the other Connor's dismay. What a weird and twisted family the JLA wove, right? The five since then, trying to reconcile the actual genetic contribution...well, Clark was so damn noble and he never wanted to take anything, even if both he and Mom had given more than enough hints it was freely offered.

After all, Oliver hadn't been a part of Jonathan's life, not really, for the better part of a decade. He certainly hadn't so much as called once Jonathan's powers had started manifesting. Good riddance. He'd always had a dad of his own since he was tiny, and he wasn't an archer.

Much more a Man of Steel.

"You know, when you come to campus it ruins my day."

"How so?"  
"Every girl swoons thinking you're my hot brother."

"You're fine."

Jonathan smirked. "I lack the square jaw and ridiculous height and broad shoulders. I mean, don't get me wrong, at least I'm bigger than Conner but I might as well be dog food next you."

Clark sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine, risk of being immortal. You're cool to visit. I banned Mom last year when my roommate hit on her. It's so awkward."

"That's not all I meant. I just...I mean I'm sorry you're not normal."  
"Mom's a mutant. It was probably never going to make me Joe Average. Hell, when her powers did come back, we should have realized Ollie probably wasn't my actual dad anyway."

"You get along well with Connor, um, the other one. Queen, I mean."

Jonathan shrugged. "He and I both have someone we can mutually bitch about. He can't help his dad and mom are cheating assholes anymore than I can help Aunt Zatanna drugged you and mom. I don't hold shit against him. Just wish both my best guy friends didn't have the same name, not exactly the best move. When we're on our own it's just like 'Superboy' and 'Speedy' or whatever."

"I was talking to Tim Drake. He says you're ready for a suit and the whole bit, patrolling."

"Finally, yeah. I've got something working out, based a lot off of the Fawkes emblem and in red so mixes both sides, you know?"

"No green?"

"God never," he said, turning around and grinning at Clark. "Well, I was thinking more of something like 'Phoenix,' since it works with Mom's theme and then most of my power really comes from the red eye schtick."

"Heat vision has never exactly been my favorite. I wish the strength and vision wasn't...it makes relationships harder, is all."

"You and Mom manage, and then obviously with Cousin Lois before. It's just adjustments."

Clark nodded but broke eye contact with him. More of that martyr complex Mom was always complaining about. "Still, there were so many times before we knew that I wished that I'd been smarter or faster or just gotten it before I finally did."  
"Saving people?"

"No, been your father. I was so jealous of Oliver back when you all were a family, but I never wanted to show it. I'm proud of you and who you are---both at the Met U Monitor and the Titans---but I never wanted you to have the worst of what I could give you or any of it. I wish you could be normal."

"I'm normal for a Sullivan or a Kent, that's good enough for me."

"Buddy---"

"Clark, I like me. I think that's a pretty good place to be headspace wise for an alien-mutant. Believe me, I can help people and I have awesome parents and great friends. I'm glad you're actually my dad."

"I know but if you ever wanted to reconcile with Oliver. He raised you for the first thirteen years."

Jonathan shrugged and pulled the paper from his jeans' pocket. "So the superhero moniker wasn't the only name stuff I'd been working on."

"Not really following, buddy."

Jonathan smirked, a look that often scared Clark since he'd said often that it was pure, classic Chloe. Jonathan liked it. Both he and his mom had great plans not everyone could appreciate, so sue him. "Just read it."

Clark frowned and then gaped back at him after re-reading the document. "You changed your name?"

"Well it's still 'Jonathan Bartholomew' but the last name needed tweaking. It's not like you and Mom aren't married."

"I just...it's always been 'Sullivan-Queen' before, I, wow," Clark said, handing the court records back to him. Jonathan wondered if he even noticed his hand shaking. He could stop Metallo or Brainiac but these simpler things often threw Clark far more. "You don't have to."

Jonathan stood and placed a hand on Clark's shoulder, squeezing it tight. "I want to. You're my dad, pretty much always were before it was official. Mom doesn't even know I did this yet. I just wanted you to know I wanted it and it feels right, you know. Tell me you don't like the ring of 'Jonathan Kent.'"

His father stood and beamed back at him. "You know I do."

"So you know what I love more?"

"What?"

Jonathan gave him a quick hug, one of those manly ones that was half back-pat anyway. "I love calling you 'Dad' even more. Come on, let's get off campus before you score half a dozen phone numbers you can't use."

"Oh I don't think that---"

"Trust me, you would. So, Dad, where do you want to grab lunch?"

"Well there's this place in Hong Kong..."


End file.
